1. Field
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus such as a portable computer having a cover member on the upper surface of a main unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
A main unit of an electronic apparatus such as a portable computer has a housing to contain a circuit board or the like. A keyboard is placed in the upper part of the housing. For example, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,661,650, a cover member may be placed in the upper part of a housing according to a type of a main unit. A cover member covers a component mounting part formed on the upper surface of the housing.
A horizontal sliding cover member may be used to make the cover member removable from a housing. A horizontal sliding cover member has a lock portion on the rear side of the cover member. The housing has a receiving portion at a position corresponding to the lock portion.
When mounting the horizontal sliding cover member on the housing, place the cover member on the component mounting part from the upper side of the housing, and slide the cover member in a horizontal direction (a width direction of the housing). Then, the lock portion of the cover member engages with the receiving portion of the housing, and the cover member is fixed to the housing.
In the structure for sliding a cover member placed on the component mounting part of the housing, like the above sliding cover member, it is necessary to secure a slide stroke of the cover member. Thus, it is necessary to make the length of the cover member shorter than the length of the component mounting part. But, in this structure, a clearance is generated between the housing and the end portion of the cover member.
The sliding structure is considered not to generate a clearance. In the sliding structure, one end of the component mounting part is opened in one side of the housing. When mounting the cover member, insert the cover member into the component mounting part through the opening. In this time, the end face of the cover member projects to the side surface of the housing through the opening, but when the cover member is moved to the mounting position, the end face coincides with the side surface of the housing.
However, in the above conventional sliding structure, one end of the component mounting part is opened in a side surface of the housing (one side of the housing). Thus, a joint between the side surface of the housing and the end face of the cover member is exposed to one side of the housing, spoiling the appearance. Further, the design is largely restricted.